Tollway willing to step in to fund I-80 upgrades, chairman tells Joliet City Council
By BOB OKON
Herald News
Oct. 15, 2018
Eric Ginnard – eginnard@shawmedia.com
The chairman of the state tollway board laid out a case to the Joliet City Council on Monday for turning the local stretch of Interstate 80 into a toll road.
“We at the tollway are ready to help,” Chairman Bob Schillerstrom told the council.
Schillerstrom was asked to make a presentation on the Illinois Tollway’s capacity to fund I-80 improvements.
He said turning the local stretch of road could speed up the pace of a $1 billion plan that the Illinois Department of Transportation now has for I-80 from New Lenox to Minooka.
“IDOT has said they may not have funds to work on 80 for 20 years,” Schillerstrom said. “The tollway’s here to help. We look to partner. We look to work with others.”
Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said he invited Schillerstrom to the council meeting after hearing him make a similar presentation to a new I-80 Coalition of government and business leaders that was created to push for progress on the planned improvements.
O’Dekirk said he gets “a real mixed reaction” when he speaks to Joliet gatherings about the possibility of turning the local section of I-80 into a tollway.
I-80 Project News
IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction
The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.
Joliet Invites Public to Houbolt Road Meeting
The city of Joliet is inviting the public to an informational meeting on April 6 about the construction project this year on Houbolt-Hollywood Road and the Interstate 80 interchange.
IDOT Hosts Governor JB Pritzker Press Conference – Update on Houbolt Road Extension-I80 Project
Doug Pryor, Vice President of Economic Development with the Will County Center for Economic Development was among the speakers following Governor Pritzker’s update on these critical infrastructure projects.
Gov. Pritzker Announces Six-Year Plan for $1.2 Billion I-80 Corridor Improvement Project
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation were joined today by local officials and community leaders to announce a six-year plan to rebuild Interstate 80 in Will County.
Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures
Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.
The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward
The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...
Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall
Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall By Bob Okon Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge and a new Interstate 80 interchange is scheduled to be completed at roughly the same time in early 2023, but they won’t start together. Houbolt...
Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go
Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.